A Christmas Surprise
by Artist 111
Summary: Harry and Ginny are in for a shock when Dudley introduces them to his new fiancée. Should Harry tell his cousin that he is about to marry a witch? A Hinny-centric two-shot.
1. Mischief

**A/N: Hey guys! It's good to be back. This story can be read as a sequel to the Veil of Death but if you haven't read that one, this will still make sense. Enjoy!**

 _18th December 2004_

Harry and Ginny were walking up the second flight of stairs when Ginny froze. She turned to Harry.

"Did you remember to bring the wine?"

"Yes, Gin." Harry sighed. "You're getting forgetful in your old age."

"Prat," Ginny laughed. "I'm younger than you."

They kept on climbing. They still had at least three more flights of stairs to go. The elevator was broken (which Ginny secretly was glad for, she wasn't sure how those things worked without magic and she wasn't keen to find out).

"Hey, I'm not the one with amnesia," Harry winked at her and gestured to the bottle of Chardonnay. "You asked me if I've brought it at least twice already."

"You're not the one who's had their head in the toilet bowl all morning, Potter."

"Not my fault you insisted on eating the leftover chicken, Weasley." Harry smirked. "Did you take the food poisoning antidote I gave you?"

"Yes, I told you I took it and it didn't help much," she sighed, "Now you're the one with amnesia."

They reached the fifth floor and searched for apartment number 55. Harry found it first. They were greeted by a beautifully decorated Christmas wreath with twinkling lights. Harry hesitated before knocking and turned to Ginny.

"Maybe this was a mistake. Should we just go home and order take-away?"

"Harry, you know we have to go in. Dudley invited us weeks ago."

"I know, but-"

"Look, I don't want to go in either but Dudley's fiancée has probably cooked us a nice meal, and he genuinely seemed like he wanted us to come over when we saw him in Harrods. Just give him a chance."

"Yeah, you're right," Harry sighed and knocked on the door. Then he turned to Ginny before someone opened it. "We leave right after dessert?"

"Deal," Ginny nodded.

The door opened and Harry could hear Christmas music blasting from the radio inside. The warmth of the fireplace and the light from the Christmas decorations spilled into the hallway. Harry could smell roast turkey and his mouth watered.

It wasn't Dudley who greeted them, but an attractive young woman who was the same height as Ginny. She had strawberry blonde hair and artfully applied makeup. Her bright red lipstick matched the pattern on her Christmas jumper. She was smiling as the door opened, though it seemed to falter as she took them in.

Harry instantly recognised her as one of the Hit Wizards from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He wondered if they were at the right place.

"H-Harry Potter?" The woman asked. "Can I help you?"

"Grace Wentworth? What are you doing here?" Harry replied. "Isn't this Dudley Dursley's place? We're here to see him and his fiancée."

"I'm his fiancée!" Grace replied, her face pale. She checked over her shoulder and then whispered. "And he doesn't know I'm a w-witch!" She took a deep breath. "He can't find out! He would never trust me again. So, please, don't say anything! Come in, but just act normal, okay?"

"Um, we'll try," Harry shot a panicked look at Ginny and stepped past Grace into the hallway.

"It's lovely to meet you, Grace." Ginny smiled as she followed behind Harry. "Dudley spoke highly of you when we ran into him the other day."

"How nice," Grace said distractedly, closing the door. She didn't even see the wine Harry held out to her. "I-um, I'll go find where is he, shall I? I won't be a moment. Please, make yourselves comfortable," she gestured to nowhere in particular and walked swiftly out of the room.

Ginny shot Harry a look and Harry just shrugged his shoulders. They stood in the entrance hall awkwardly until a moment later, when Dudley entered.

"Hi guys, glad you could make it."

"Dudley, it's nice to see you," Harry greeted, handing him the bottle of wine and shaking his hand.

"It's good to see you, too. Both of you. Thanks for coming."

"It's good to be here. Your fiancée seems nice."

"Thanks! I'm just so glad you've finally met her. She's awesome." Dudley had a faraway look in his eyes for a moment and then snapped back to reality, his face turned red as he realised his words.

"Gee, Dudley," Harry said teasingly, shooting Ginny another anxious look. "I've never seen you so lovesick."

"Hey, I'll take that as a compliment, thanks." Dudley grinned. "Dinner should be ready soon. I'll show you around while we wait?"

"Sure. Lead the way."

Dudley led them out of the entrance way showed them the various rooms in their small apartment. They complimented Dudley on each room they saw, including the master bedroom and the study that was also the guest bedroom and the gym. Next, they followed Dudley into a neatly decorated lounge room. Harry noted the television was much larger and wider than the one he grew up with at his aunt and uncle's house. He hadn't seen a television in a while and figured he was very behind on Muggle technology.

"That's a nice TV, Dudley."

"Thanks! It's a new model. Has more channels than ever which means there's always a good film on." He turned it on and started flicking through the channels.

"Do they-do they still do the news?"

Dudley gave him a weird look. "Uh, yeah."

"Oh. Cool."

He turned and noticed Ginny staring apprehensively at some sliding glass doors that opened onto a balcony. It had a great view overlooking the London skyline but she was standing a few feet away from the doors, as if she was afraid to go any closer.

"Gin, are you scared of the balcony?" Harry looked at her, trying to hide the amusement on his face.

"What? No, of course not. But- well, how is it staying up?"

"Muggles are good with their building designs, trust me." Harry chuckled. "It's ok to stand on it. It won't fall."

"Alright, if-if you say so," Ginny took in a breath and stepped onto the balcony. She smiled when she realised she wasn't plunging to her death. Harry joined her and wrapped his arm around her waist as they admired the view.

"Ginny Potter," Harry started imitating an announcer's voice. "Undefeated on a broom, and now undefeated by balconies."

He looked behind him and saw Dudley was preoccupied with a wrestling match that was on the television. He turned back to Ginny and met her chocolate brown eyes with his piercing green ones.

"Are we really just going to go along with it? She's a Hit Wizard and he has no idea. What should we do?"

"Let's just play along for now," said Ginny, thoughtfully. "Though, I don't know if this will end well. He will find out eventually, and it doesn't seem like she's going to tell him. I mean, he has a right to know."

"Exactly. I don't want to lie to him, but I don't know how he's going to take it when he finds out." Harry frowned. "He hates magic."

"He doesn't anymore," Ginny said, earnestly. "He's invited us over. Doesn't that count for something?"

"I guess you're right." Harry sighed. "How did you become so wise?"

"I actually listened in school."

Harry laughed. He couldn't help himself, so he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Dinner's ready!" They heard Grace's call from the kitchen. He pulled away reluctantly and they walked back into the lounge room.

"Yes! Go for it, man!" Dudley was yelling at the TV.

"Uh, Dudley. I think dinner's ready."

"What? Oh, right. Let's eat then!" He turned the TV off and gestured for them to follow him.

They entered a small dining room and sat down at the table. Dudley sat opposite Harry, while Ginny sat to his right. The table was laid beautifully with festive decorations, Christmas crackers and a bouquet of flowers as the centrepiece.

"This looks lovely, Dudley." Ginny smiled at him. "You have such a nice home."

"Thank, Ginny." Dudley looked at her warily, remembering the first time he had met her a few years ago. He still felt like bats were flying out his nose. "It means a lot."

Grace entered with a roast turkey and several other side dishes of roast potatoes, carrots, peas and other vegetables. It was like a Christmas feast, even though there was still a week left. Harry mentally reminded himself to finish off his Christmas shopping.

"This is delicious, Grace." Ginny said sincerely. "Do you cook often?"

Grace looked flustered and shook her head. She couldn't quite meet Ginny's eyes as she replied.

"No, no. I'm not much of a chef. I just like doing the presentation. Dudley's the real cook."

"Oh, really?" said Ginny. "That's nice. Harry's the same. Loves to cook, but the kitchen looks like a bomb went off once he's done." She smiled. "Not that I can complain, I couldn't cook to save my life."

"It's true," Harry grinned at her. "She once tried to make me breakfast. Let's just say the fire department has her on their watch-list."

They all laughed, Dudley had finished carving the turkey and they began to pile their plates with various vegetables.

"Pass the roast potatoes please, Dudley."

"Sure, honey." He handed them to her, oblivious to the awkward tension in the room.

Dinner conversation flowed, and Harry began to think that they might get through the evening without any mishaps. Dudley and Grace spoke about how their wedding planning was going, and Harry and Ginny gave them tips on the best wedding vendors around London. They spoke about where they went on their honeymoon and how much they had enjoyed it. Dudley claimed he really wanted to go to Jamaica but Grace was set on Australia.

Everything was going well. Grace cleared the plates and brought in some freshly baked brownies for dessert.

"These are delicious, babe." Dudley grinned. Harry and Ginny hummed in agreement.

"Thanks, I'm fond of baking." Grace smiled. "It's the only cooking I can actually do."

"You're great at it. Like you are at everything." Dudley smiled at her, before turning to Ginny and Harry. "So, you two have been married for a few years now. Have you been thinking about kids?"

Ginny nearly choked on her brownie and Harry almost spat out his water.

"No, no. Not at the moment," said Ginny. "We're too young. We always said we'd wait a bit."

"What Ginny is saying is, well, she's at the peak of her professional career and doesn't want to throw it all away when her team has been at the top of the league since she became full-time." Harry smiled, looking at her fondly. "As for myself, I'm often in the line of fire and we both think it would be best if we waited a little longer."

"Oh wow. Ginny, do you play women's soccer professionally?" Grace asked, innocently.

"Uh, sure." Ginny replied, making a mental note to ask Harry what soccer was. She wasn't sure what else to say, so she said, "What do you do, Grace?"

"Oh, well. I can't speak about it too much. I'm in the government."

"What, like a spy?" Harry questioned, a sparkle in his eye. Ginny looked at him, wondering where he was going with this.

"Oh no, but I sort of have to deal with a lot of private information. I can't disclose details, I'm afraid."

"I see," said Ginny and, with a completely serious face, continued, "You must be a Hit around the office, especially with a smile as bewitching as yours."

"Yes," Harry agreed, trying his best to control his laughter. "These brownies are magical. Your co-workers must enjoy them if you've ever brought them in."

"Oh, well." Grace turned red. "I haven't."

"You definitely should," Ginny said between mouthfuls. "They're absolutely enchanting."

"Yes. There must be witchcraft involved, they're just too good."

Dudley looked from Ginny to Harry and then to Grace in confusion. "Am I missing something?"

"No, though you I'm glad you're marrying this woman," said Harry. "She's definitely a Keeper."

Ginny snorted but didn't continue. She figured they'd said enough. Harry must have thought so too, because he dropped it. As much as they didn't approve of Grace's secret, it wasn't their place to interfere.

They continued to eat their brownies in silence for a few moments.

"I was going to tell him one day!" Grace snapped, ending the silence. Harry and Ginny looked at each other in shock. "Though, I probably would have waited until after we had kids, if they got a letter."

"Gracey, what are you talking about?" asked Dudley, his face pale.

"I didn't know the cousin you rarely spoke about was him! Harry bloody Potter. You can imagine my surprise when Ginny Weasley, star chaser for the Holyhead Harpies and Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and Saviour of the Wizarding World, is cousin to my husband-to-be! I had no idea."

"It's Ginny Potter, actually," Ginny said. "Wait, weren't you a fifth year Hufflepuff when the Carrows were in charge?"

"Ravenclaw, actually." Grace shook her head. "I kept to myself a lot at Hogwarts. I feel so ashamed to be sitting here with the both of you. You both did so much, and I just kept my head down."

"Grace, you can't beat yourself up over things you could have done differently. Trust me, I know how it feels." Harry said wisely. "Besides, I think there is a more pressing issue. Dudley, are you alright?"

Dudley looked as if his world had been turned upside down. He was almost as purple as Uncle Vernon would get when he was beyond angry. Harry internally winced at how much Dudley resembled his uncle at that moment.

"Dudley?"

"I-I-can't believe you didn't tell me." Dudley said quietly. "This whole time, you've been lying to me. You're-you're one of them."

"Dudley, dear. I was going to tell you eventually."

"When?" Dudley stood up, his chair shrieking against the hard wood floor. "When? After we were married? After we had kids, and those kids would be…would have magic too?"

"Dudley, mate." Harry said. "Try and calm down."

"No… no! This is too much. I-I can't be here anymore." Dudley walked towards the front door. "I have to go. I need to think."

The door slammed behind him. Harry turned to Grace. Her face was blotchy and streaked with tears. She looked crestfallen and was almost hyperventilating. Ginny looked downcast.

"I'm so, so sorry, Grace." Harry began. "We didn't mean to-"

"No," Grace said determinedly. "It's not your fault. I-I should have told him. I thought by keeping it quiet, it would make life easier. Still, I shouldn't hide a big part of my life from my partner. It's wrong to keep things from him."

"We shouldn't have joked around like that," said Ginny. "It got out of hand. We're sorry."

"No. I should have known better," Harry said. "This will be tough for him."

"What do you mean?" Grace whispered.

"When we were growing up, his parents didn't like me. They thought magic was unnatural. They raised Dudley to be the same. It took him a long time to realise that I wasn't, well, a freak," said Harry, frankly. "He finally seemed to overcome his fear of magic, but now this has happened. I think it might be too much for him."

"Wait, so you mean, he hates magic?"

"Not so much anymore, but he feared it for a while. Then I saved him from some Dementors and he seemed to get better over the years." Harry said. "His parents still hate anything to do with magic, so it's best not to mention it to them."

"Do you think he'll come back?"

"I know he will. Just give him time. He loves you. He'll be hurt and confused for a while but he'll remember why he proposed to you in the first place. As long as you don't wave your wand in front of him too often, I'm sure you can make it work."

"T-thanks, Harry." Grace swiped her eyes. "It means a lot."

"It's no problem. Are you going to be ok? I think it's best if we head off now and give you some space. Especially if Dudley decides to come back."

"Yes, I'll be fine," Grace nodded. "I just hope he comes back."

"He will," Ginny said fiercely. "Though if he doesn't return in the next week, let me know and I'll make sure he does," she then smiled and winked. "If you want me to, of course."

Grace gave a short laugh. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

They thanked her for the meal and complimented her home a bit more before leaving. As they walked back to the Apparation point, Ginny couldn't help but wonder what it must be like to date a Muggle. She thought of poor Grace. Of all the Muggles she could have dated, it had to be the one who had grown up despising and fearing magic. She silently thanked Merlin that she had Harry. She turned to look at his handsome features and smiled to herself. She was one lucky witch.

* * *

Dudley was freaking out. He had known Grace for years and the whole time she had been one of them. It wasn't the magic part that made him uncomfortable however, it was the idea that she had been keeping such a huge part of her life from him. Everything she had told him had been lies.

It all swam through his head. The private school she went to in Scotland had been Hogwarts. He wondered what her real job was, and what her life was like growing up as a witch. He felt like he didn't even know her. Where did she keep her wand?

Dudley didn't know what to do. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go back home and see her deceitful face. He could have crashed at a friend's house, but most of them were away for the holidays or didn't live close by. He then considered Harry's place, but wasn't sure he could face the married couple right now. He was ashamed of himself and his reaction. He figured it looked like he stormed off because she was a witch, and not because she had been lying to him.

At least, that's what he tried to tell himself. It wasn't the magic that had made him run, was it? He was over it. Granted, it had been a long time since he had to witness its effects. His fingers ghosted over his nose, remembering the bats. Maybe, he was still afraid of magic. He hadn't gotten over his fear of magic itself, he just wasn't afraid of Harry anymore.

He figured he ought to go home and explain himself to Grace. Dudley looked up and realised he'd been walking for a long time. He felt his pockets and it dawned on him that he had no wallet and no house keys. It was dark and cold, and he was in a neighbourhood he didn't know very well. He wasn't sure if he knew his way back. He decided to head back the way he came until he saw something he recognised.

He had only moved in with Grace after they got engaged, and so he didn't know this part of London very well. Finally, he saw a tube station that he knew wasn't too far from their apartment and got his bearings back.

He started to jog the rest of the way home, and he wasn't far from his apartment when he tripped.

He fell to the ground hard. His hands were stuck in his pockets to keep the cold out, and he didn't get them out quick enough to catch his fall. His face scraped against the pavement.

He slowly recovered and looked around to see what exactly had made him trip over. It was then he realised it wasn't a what that he had tripped over, but a who.

A man was standing there, looking ragged and homeless. His face was hard and cruel. He had stuck out his leg in order to make him fall.

"Hey, what was that for?" Dudley asked angrily, as he got to his feet. He had years of wrestling practise and wasn't in the best mood. This guy picked the wrong person to mess with.

"Yer wallet," the man answered, holding up a knife.

Well, shit.

"I-I left it at home," Dudley said as he took a step back, his face pale. He couldn't compete with a knife wielding maniac. "Please, I don't have it."

"I don't believe ya," said the man, his eyes narrowing. He took step closer to Dudley, holding out his palm. "Hand it over, now, there's a good lad."

Dudley's heart raced, but years of wrestling had taught him a lot. He sized up his opponent. The man was stocky, but seemed drunken. That made him unpredictable, but his moves would be sloppy and slow.

Dudley held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright," he started to reach into his pocket. "I'll get it, just keep the knife away, please."

He slowly stuck his hand inside his coat pocket in a placating gesture, but then in a flash, he brought his fist out and punched the man straight in his face.

He could hear a sicken crunch from the man's nose, and blood gushed out. The man was winded, but didn't go down like Dudley thought he would. Instead, he started charging towards Dudley in anger, his knife raised and swinging wildly. Dudley let out of yelp of shock and moved out of the way, dodging easily.

The man regained his balance, and like a bull, started coming towards Dudley once more. This time, Dudley had a plan. He ducked and grabbed the man's arm with one hand and punched him in the chest with the other. The man gasped in pain and dropped the knife from above. It clattered to the floor and the man doubled over. Dudley bent down to pick up the knife when the man came at him unexpectedly.

As he was tackled to the ground by this drunk and angry homeless bloke, he heard someone scream out his name.

"Dudley!?"

It sounded like Grace. He hoped it wasn't Grace. She needed to stay away from this man. He could hurt her.

"Dudley! Oh, Merlin! I don't have my wand." He could hear her ranting as he struggled with this man, both of them rolling around on the floor, wrestling to gain the upper hand. "Oh, what do I do? I should call the Muggle police. How do I do that again?"

"Tele…ph…one," Dudley managed to gasp out as he struggled.

Though before Grace could act, Dudley finally managed to pin the homeless man down, and gave him one quick blow to the head, knocking him unconscious. He stood up and took in his still form, and felt sorry for the poor bastard.

"Grace." He looked at her and laughed in relief.

"Dudley, are you ok?" She asked, taking in his appearance.

"Yes," he noticed her tear streaked face. "Are you?"

"Yes, of course."

They paused only for a moment before they wrapped themselves in each other's embrace.

She pulled away, "Look, I'm sorry I lied-"

"Shhh, don't worry about that. We can talk about it another time. Let's call an ambulance for his guy, and head back home. I'm freezing."

"Ok, fine, but-"

"I'm mad you lied to me and I'm mad you didn't tell me sooner, but I don't hate you for it, okay?"

She nodded, leaning in for a kiss. He was happy to close the distance, like he had a million times before. It felt like coming home.

They pulled away, and he looked at her smiling face in wonder, but then he noticed her eyes widen at something behind her. He turned around just in time to get stabbed in the chest by a knife-wielding mad man.

Shit.

* * *

"Harry, I'm still feeling a bit nauseous. Do you mind if we skip Apparating and walk home? It's only a few blocks."

"Yeah, course." He looked at Ginny in concern. "You alright?"

"I'll be fine. The thought of Apparating just makes me a little queasy, is all." Ginny sighed, the cold air making her breath visible. "I wish that food poisoning antidote worked."

Harry stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at her.

"Gin, when's the last time you had your period?"

"Not that long ago, maybe a month," she looked at him with a frown. "I've been PMSing lately, so should be very soon."

"Okay," he said slowly, "You've been taking the Contraceptive Potion, right?"

"Of course I have," she said, slightly annoyed that he would ask such a stupid question. "I haven't missed a day."

"Even that day of the big season finale, when the Harpies played against Puddlemere United?"

"Yeah, of course I did. I knew you would want to celebrate our victory, so I made sure to," Ginny smirked. "It was that, or aggressive 'I hate losing' sex. Either way, I knew we would probably do it."

"Okay, that's alright, I guess." Harry sighed. "I don't know what I thought. You seemed distracted on that day so I thought maybe you might have forgotten."

"Of course not," Ginny shook her head. "I was very nervous, but I haven't skipped a day, trust me. I think I would know if I was…"

She paused.

Shit.

"Oh, Merlin."

"Ginny, what is it?" said Harry, looking worried.

"I threw up!"

"What?" Harry looked even more lost.

"Before the match! I was nervous so I threw up, not long after I took the potion." Ginny put her hands on her face. "Merlin's saggy balls, Harry! I think I might be pregnant!"

"Woah," said Harry, voice full of wonder. "I'm gonna be a dad?"

Ginny didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She didn't plan on having kids yet, but looking at Harry and seeing his face light up put an end to all her worries. He was going to be a great father.

"Yes," she laughed. "We're having a baby!"

They hugged for what felt like a long time.

Ginny hesitantly let go, shivering in the freezing cold. "Um Harry, I just realised… I think it might be best if we do a pregnancy test first."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

 **A/N: Please don't forget to favourite and leave a review! The next (and final) part of this story is already written and will come very soon.**


	2. Managed

"No!" Grace screamed.

Dudley felt the knife pierce his chest, and he doubled over in pain. The man pulled the knife out of his chest and went to stab him again when he suddenly flew back with an invisible force.

He looked over at Grace. She was standing with her hands held out, breathing heavily. In that moment, she looked so beautiful that he felt like crying. Though, he was pretty sure he was already in tears from the deep wound in his gut.

"No, Dudley." Grace sniffed, she moved over to his body and fell to her knees. She began pressing down on the wound to stop the bleeding, but he had already lost a lot of blood, and she was not strong enough to continue applying pressure forever.

"Grace," Dudley croaked. "Go call someone. Get help."

"I-I can't leave you here," she said, sobbing. "You'll die!"

Dudley shifted slightly and winced. He dimly registered the sound of Grace sobbing as his vision began to fade away and darkness took over.

"I love you, Grace."

"I love you, Dudley." Grace whispered. "Please, hold on."

The throbbing in his chest was too much for him, and he let himself drift into unconsciousness.

As she looked at Dudley's limp form, Grace truly wished she hadn't lived a lie for so long. Her wand would have been extremely useful right now, but it was locked in the hidden trunk in her room, where she put it every day she came home from work. She kept it there until Dudley had left for work. His personal training clients scheduled their gym appointments for early in the morning, and she was free to go about her morning routine with the help of her wand.

She usually had her wand on her whenever she went outside. Tonight, however, she had left it in the apartment for Dudley, as she knew that he was upset over her magic.

What a stupid idea that was. It was all her fault. Dudley was bleeding out in the middle of an empty alley, with no help coming. All she could do was keep applying pressure, and hope someone would walk past. The Nokia 7200 she had bought Dudley as a Christmas gift would have been helpful right now, but it was wrapped up in decorative paper and sitting in their apartment, just like her wand.

"Mmhmm…"

The noise startled Grace, and she thought Dudley might have woken up for a moment, until she realised it was coming from the man. He was a few metres away, and slowly waking up.

She dimly registered that she had used wandless magic on him before, and it hit her. She could do it again! She summoned her willpower and tried to focus on closing the wound on Dudley's chest.

Nothing happened.

She concentrated again, focusing with all her might on stopping the bleeding and closing the wound, but still nothing happened. She wasn't even sure if she would be able to perform those spells if she had her wand on her. They were complex, and she couldn't even remember the incantation. There was no way she could save him now.

Another moan sounded from the homeless man. She watched as he moaned and got to his feet. He looked at her with angry, vengeful eyes.

The man started lumbering over to her, holding the knife out and charging once more. She tried to summon the wandless magic again, to knock him over, but it wasn't working. He kept coming, and she felt it was a fitting punishment, she would deserve it. It was her fault Dudley was dying. They would both die side by side.

She closed her eyes and waited as he grew near.

* * *

The walk to their apartment was longer than they anticipated, largely thanks to the snow covered streets. Harry and Ginny had cast Warming Charms over their bodies to combat the cold.

They walked in peaceful silence, trudging along when Ginny paused.

"Did you hear that?" Ginny asked. She thought she heard a scream in the distance, but it was faint.

"Hear what?"

"Harry, is it just me or?" Ginny's gut was telling her something was wrong. She couldn't ignore it.

"Or what?"

"Something isn't right," Ginny breathed. "We need to go back to their apartment!"

"Ginny?" said Harry, confused, but his wife was already running back the way they came. "How can you tell?"

"Just, I don't know, call it pregnancy intuition or something!" Ginny called out as she ran, Harry trailing after her. "You can mock me later if I'm wrong!"

They both ran as fast as they could, and it didn't take long for them to reach Dudley and Grace's building, considering they both were in peak shape for the sake of their careers.

They stopped outside the building and caught their breath, preparing to take the flights of stairs.

"You sure about th-

Harry was cut off when they heard a scream coming from nearby. They both took off running towards it, wands out and ready for whatever it was.

"I'm sure," Ginny said in reply.

The scene they stumbled upon was horrifying. Harry noticed Dudley lying on the floor, blood pooled around him. Grace was covered in blood, but it seemed to be Dudley's blood and not her own. She was pressing down on his stomach with both her hands.

Most notably however, was the man that was approaching her with a knife poised out for an attack.

Harry registered all this in less than a second. Using his years of Auror training, he was able to restrain the offending homeless Muggle within moments. He sent a Patronus, letting the Auror department know to send out some Healers and the Muggle police.

"Bloody witch," the man muttered under his breath, staring at Grace. Harry blinked and sent for an Obliviator too.

He looked down at Dudley and noticed Ginny was already comforting Grace, while simultaneously waving her wand and closing the wound as best she could.

"It's good you managed to keep your hands pressed on it the whole time, Grace," Ginny was saying to the distraught witch. "You probably saved his life."

"I didn't have my wand," Grace sniffed.

"It's not like you could have known what was going to happen," Ginny countered. "You can hardly blame yourself. If anyone's to blame, it's the drunken homeless man that carries a knife and stabs people."

"Ginny's right, Grace." Harry stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing good comes from blaming yourself for things out of your control, I of all people should know that. I know it's hard, but he will be okay. Healers are on their way now."

A loud _Pop!_ echoed through the snow covered alley way.

"Speak of the devils," Harry gave a small smile and went over to greet them.

"Auror Potter, sir." The Healers greeted Harry. He pointed them in the direction of Dudley, they ran towards him without a moment's hesitation.

Harry followed behind, hoping they would be able to help his cousin. They checked his vitals with a wave of a wand, and soon realised that the dying man was a Muggle. Harry knew the protocol was to call a Muggle ambulance for any Muggle injuries, and was expecting them to protest, but they just shared a look and got to work. He silently thanked Merlin.

"Get that thing away from me, yer lunatic!" The drunken man was yelling from nearby, struggling in his bonds and glaring at a man in Obliviator robes.

"Obliviate!"

Harry watched as the spell took effect and the drunken man went limp in his bonds. The sound of police sirens wailed in the distance.

Harry walked over to Dudley. Grace and Ginny were huddled close by, gripping each other as they gave the Healers space to work. He watched for a few moments and noticed the wound now only resembled a scar. The Healers stood up and each shook Harry's hand.

"It's been a pleasure, Auror Potter," one of them said. "He should be good as new. Just needs a bit of rest and to get out of the cold."

"Thank you," Harry said in immense relief.

"Don't mention it." They gave their farewell to the witches and disappeared with a crack. Harry looked around and noticed the Obliviator was gone and the homeless man was starting to wake up again, just in time for the Muggle police to arrive.

"Should we get out of here?" Harry asked the two women.

"I can't Apparate, remember?" Ginny looked at him, smiling.

"Oh, yes, of course." Harry grinned, remembering that he might be a father sometime soon.

* * *

They managed to get out of the cold and back into Dudley and Grace's apartment, but only after lots of questioning by the police, and some dodgy answers about who exactly was stabbed and why there was an unconscious but uninjured man on the floor with blood on his shirt. A homeless man that seemed to have forgotten how he had ended up in the alley in the first place didn't help their cause.

The homeless man was arrested anyway, not for stabbing Dudley, but for possession of a dangerous implement, public intoxication and then for assaulting a police officer in the testicular region.

It was an eventful and exhausting evening, with Harry and Ginny saying their goodbyes well after midnight. Dudley was still unconscious when they left. He was resting in his bed, in the safe hands of Grace, who was clutching her wand with an iron grip and anxiously waiting for him to wake.

She looked at him lying next to her on the bed, and knew that he would be okay. It was a comforting thought.

* * *

 _Three Months Later_

Dudley crept out of bed, careful not to disturb Grace as he got ready for his training session with a client. He looked over at her sleeping form and admired her beauty. Her wand was placed on her bedside table and he smiled as he remembered that night three months ago when he had found out.

It was a fond memory now. Since then, he had learned all the ways magic could brighten his life. Every day, Grace mentioned a charm, potion or quirky Wizarding invention that made him plain excited to see in action. It was a lot more comforting when it was your fiancée who wielded the wand and not your cousin's angry wife. Magic wasn't limited to sweets that made your tongue heavy or spells that gave you a pig's tail on your backside. It was so much better and he had no idea, until recently, just how wonderful it could be.

Mundane tasks like cooking and cleaning now took seconds, and though that was very useful, the best part about magic was the different ways he and Grace used it to spice up their time in the bedroom. He smiled as he remembered last week, when she had brought home some Polyjuice Potion and explained what it was and how it worked. He really put himself in her shoes that night, literally (and vice versa). It was a brilliant night.

* * *

"I'm pregnant!"

Usually when she said those words, Ginny heard squeals of joy, followed by a crushing hug. Though this time, her words were followed by a loud, annoyed groan.

"You're 16 weeks along. I get it," Harry said from his seat across the fireplace, "but that doesn't give you the excuse to tell Ron to 'piss off' as soon as his head pops up the Floo!"

"But I'm preg-

"Yes," Harry groaned again, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I know. You're pregnant."

"Harry James Potter, you did this to me!" She gestured to her protruding bump, half-smiling. "You knocked me up. I'm a whale because of you, so you best let me snap at people as much as I like. It's my right as an expecting mother."

Harry couldn't help it, he burst into laughter. Ginny did too.

"You should have seen the look on the poor sod's face!" Harry wheezed.

"I did, and I will treasure it forever," she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

They looked at each other, and burst into laughter once more.

 **A/N: That's it! Hope you liked it. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season.**

 **Don't forget to leave a review!**


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